I finally have the space to build a boat and I think my woodworking skills are up to the job. I've rebuilt cars in the past and done plenty of home renos and furniture restoration. I've loved the look of classic runabouts from the 50s and 60s after accidentally walking into a Riva Aquarama gathering in the south of France many years ago. That boat is beautiful, but too big for my garage.

I've looked at many plans on here looking to build a classic runabout, and apart from wanting the styling of a 50s or 60s runabout, I have two other criteria. I really want a single, open cockpit that will seat 5 with 2 captains chairs and a bench, and it must have a V8. My inspiration is the 19' Chris Craft Capri, but I'm struggling to find a plan that meets all those criteria. Is there a plan here that could be modified?

I think Bill is right. The Riviera is the closest thing you will find to a Capri. Cockpit size is good and you could either make a drop in hatch for the rumble seat or just plank over it. The Capri came in two lengths. 21 and 19 feet. The Glen L Riviera is 20 ft. You could do some wood sculpting if you wanted to do the Capri Bull Nose. The Barrel back bow is the older straight up stem and is not as beamy as the Capri or Riviera.

I just did a quick mockup with the Monaco Utility plan. It's not dimensioned, but it looks like the engine would have to move aft about 2 feet. Is this feasable or will it totally screw up the balance? There is a chap on here who has a Tahoe with a sterndrive which is right at the back, but his boat is obviously a few feet longer.

I should also mention that 19' is about as much as I can get in my garage and still have space to work around it. For this reason I was originally considering the Ski King lengthened to 16.5', but I think it's just about impossible to achieve the layout I want with a hull that short.

No, I wouldn't suggest that you move the engine 2 feet aft of design, not even 1 foot aft.

You want a classic design which generally means you want a generously long wood planked foredeck, a tumblehome transom, and an inboard motor. You want a single cockpit that will seat 5. You want a V8 engine. And you're limited to 19 feet overall length. Out of all the suggestions offered, as far as standard designs go, the Barrellback is probably the best option. You could probably tweak the transom shape to give you more of the Capri look, but I think it's going to be difficult to get a V8 in it.

Quite frankly, you're running out of inches and I don't see any feasible designs, Glen-L or otherwise. So if you want to be adventurous and willing to do some design work, start with the Wanderlust hull plan, modify the transom and the applicable aft frames above the waterline so that it has a tumblehome shape at the transom. Put at sterndrive engine in it (maybe you could consider a V-Drive), but run your exhaust out of pipes instead of the outdrive so that you can get your V8 rumble. Forego the cabin plans and instead just deck the front as you would a classic runabout.

You might like the Roustabout. It will take a little "imagining" to make a Capri. The Roustabout is 17' that can be stretched 10%, close to 19'. It can use a 650 lb. inboard/outboard, so maybe a small V8. It is shown as a utility, but by the time you are finished with the hull, you'll have the skills, without a doubt, to put a little deck and hatch aft rather than the engine cover.

One question I have; how did Chris Craft manage to pull off this configuration? It looks like the stern is wider than the barrelback designs, but is that it? They didn't even move the fuel tank forward, it sits right in front of the transom.